Police say arrests point to chop shop

A 30-year-old man whom police suspect of operating a chop shop from his Kalihi home was arrested Wednesday on suspicion of operating a stolen vehicle and detaining stolen property.

Police arrested the suspect at his home on the 2000 block of Aoao Place.

On Oct. 5 the general manager of Jaguar of Honolulu reported a silver 2004 X-Type Jaguar with California license plates stolen, police reported in an affidavit.

Almost two weeks later, police responded to a call of suspicious activity with a man unloading motorcycles from a blue GMC pickup truck into the front yard of the residence on Aoao Place.

An officer checked three Kawasaki motorcycles less than 2 years old parked in the yard, and found all three had been reported stolen.

Police questioned the neighbors, who said the suspect and several other people often strip and work on motorcycles at all hours of the day and night. Police said in the affidavit that is a common indicator of a chop shop.

A resident told police that the suspect drove a Jaguar, police reported.

An officer located a Jaguar with a rear paper license parked near the residence, and identified it as the one reported stolen.

Two days later, on Oct. 20, an officer responding to a 7:30 a.m. call of suspicious activity near Gulick Avenue and Owawa Street saw three men running from a blue GMC/Chevy pickup truck and a Yamaha motorcycle. One man ran toward 1916 Gulick Ave., the police affidavit said.

An officer checking that residence noticed a silver Kawasaki motorcycle with altered license plates and confirmed that the bike had been reported stolen.

When the resident returned home an hour later, police arrested him on suspicion of second-degree theft for possession of the stolen motorcycle.

Police said the man admitted being one of the men who had fled that morning, and said the suspect from Aoao Place was the one driving the blue pickup. The man also told police the suspect had driven the stolen silver Kawasaki to his home to store it.